personal reflection on leadership essay

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A guest post from Sadhana Hall , an instructor for the YALI Network Online Courses , including lessons on “ Networking to Get Ahead ,” “ Creating and Managing a Team ” and “ Setting and Achieving Goals .”

I am fortunate to reflect on leadership and management concepts regularly, but not because these ideas are necessarily “new.” Many leadership concepts may be simple, but they are not just “common sense”; if that were the case, why don’t we see them being practiced more frequently? In my experience, I’ve found that great leadership requires intentional reflection on key concepts; here are a few that are important to me.

Effective management and leadership begins with being self-aware . This simply means that you need to work hard to intimately understand your strengths and weaknesses, model ways in which your values are congruent with your behavior, and develop a culture of respect for yourself and for others on your team. Recently, a new employee said to me: “Although I already had a strong sense of my core values before joining this organization, working here has pushed me to practice a higher level of professionalism. Our organization’s culture doesn’t just teach leadership to our students, but expects faculty and staff to model what leadership actually looks like on a daily basis. We are responsible for an array of excellent courses, effective programs, and skill-building events, but the most personally rewarding aspect of my work is participating in an internal culture that is congruent with our external message.” Explicit and implicit in this employee’s observation is the way in which our team practices shared management and leadership with awareness and authenticity.

Consider also what integrity means to you as a manager or a leader and why it matters. Integrity has been defined and described in many ways, but there is one idea that has stuck with me: A person’s integrity is a matter of the value of his or her word, nothing more and nothing less. If you keep your word for every task, large or small, people will naturally trust you with more complex responsibilities. Responsibility and trust create credibility, which then makes the conditions ripe for leading people towards achieving common goals. This is how your organization and your role within it can grow. So consider developing a habit of keeping your word — to yourself and to others. I know from personal experience that this is not an easy thing to do all the time. If you break your word — to yourself or to another person — apologize and figure out a way to fix the problem you might have created by breaking your word.

Finally, as a leader, pay attention to self-care . Taking care of your team starts with taking care of yourself. Understand your limits and what you can reasonably accomplish in a finite period of time. Identify tasks only you can accomplish and delegate other tasks in ways that will engage your team members and encourage their development.

These are my reflections on self-awareness, integrity, and self-care. What do these concepts mean to you?

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Don’t Underestimate the Power of Self-Reflection

• James R. Bailey
• Scheherazade Rehman

Focus on moments of surprise, failure, and frustration.

Research shows the habit of reflection can separate extraordinary professionals from mediocre ones. But how do you sort which experiences are most significant for your development?

• To answer this questions, the authors asked 442 executives to reflect on which experiences most advanced their professional development and had the most impact on making them better leaders.
• Three distinct themes arose through their analysis: surprise, frustration, and failure. Reflections that involved one or more or of these sentiments proved to be the most valuable in helping the leaders grow.
• Surprise, frustration, and failure. Cognitive, emotional, and behavioral. These parts of you are constantly in motion and if you don’t give them time to rest and reflect upon what you learned from them, you will surely fatigue.

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Empathy, communication, adaptability, emotional intelligence, compassion. These are all skills you need to thrive in the workplace and become a great leader. Time and again, we even hear that these capabilities are the key to making yourself indispensable — not just now but far into the future. Soft skills, after all, are what make us human, and as far as we know, can’t be performed well by technologies like artificial intelligence.

• James R. Bailey is professor and Hochberg Fellow of Leadership at George Washington University. The author of five books and more than 50 academic papers, he is a frequent contributor to the Harvard Business Review, The Hill, Fortune, Forbes, and Fast Company and appears on many national television and radio programs.
• Scheherazade Rehman is professor and Dean’s Professorial Fellow of International Finance. She is director of the European Union Research Center and former Director of World ExecMBA with Cybersecurity, has appeared in front of the U.S. House and Senate, and been a guest numerous times onPBS Newshour, the Colbert Report, BBC World News, CNBC, Voice of America, and C-Span.

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The Importance of Reflective Leadership in Business

• 05 Sep 2023

Effective leadership is essential to business success. As an organizational leader , you not only guide decision-making but create your company’s culture, retain its talent, and move it toward bigger, better things.

Your leadership style —the behavioral patterns consistent across your decision-making—influences your impact on your organization and team. One of the most beneficial styles to adopt is reflective leadership.

If you want to learn more about reflective leadership’s role in business, here’s an overview of its components, why it’s effective, and how to become a reflective leader.

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What Is Reflective Leadership?

Reflective leadership involves self-awareness, introspection, and continuous learning and growth to make better decisions, enhance leadership skills , and improve team performance .

“Reflective leadership requires the continuous practice of reflection over time,” says Harvard Business School Professor Nien-hê Hsieh in the online course Leadership, Ethics, and Corporate Accountability . “This allows you to regularly examine and re-evaluate your decisions and responsibilities to practice, broaden, and deepen your skills, and to apply this knowledge when analyzing present situations.”

Reflective leadership also enables you to help your team grow.

“Reflective leadership is about helping others on your team or in your organization,” Hsieh says. “It’s about helping them develop their own skills in awareness, judgment, and action.”

In Leadership, Ethics, and Corporate Accountability , Hsieh delves into the reflective leadership model , a framework for conceptualizing your responsibilities as an ethical leader.

The model has four components:

• Awareness: Recognize your legal, economic, and ethical responsibilities to stakeholders.
• Judgment: Consider biases and shared concepts that influence your decision-making.
• Action: Act on your decisions in an accountable, consistent way.
• Reflection: Reflect on all three components throughout the process to learn from past experiences.

“The reflective leadership model involves not only reflection on business decisions but also continuous reflection on your own personal beliefs, goals, and commitments,” Hsieh says in the course. “These aspects of self are often significant influences on your decisions and internal guides when navigating difficult situations.”

The Importance of Reflective Leadership

Before diving into the importance of reflective leadership, it’s critical to note the pitfalls of being an inadequate leader.

According to recruitment services company Zippia , 79 percent of employees leave their companies because they don’t feel appreciated by leaders, and upwards of 69 percent believe they’d work harder if recognized. In addition, only 33 percent report feeling engaged in the workplace.

Companies also lack focus on leadership development. Zippia reports that 77 percent struggle to find and develop leaders, and only five percent implement leadership development at all levels.

Since reflective leadership focuses on continuously improving and developing, it’s one of the more effective leadership styles. By regularly reflecting on your beliefs and values and incorporating them into your actions, you can make ethical decisions and enable your company to be more purpose-driven .

“Along with responsibility, leadership brings opportunities,” Hsieh explains in Leadership, Ethics, and Corporate Accountability . “These include opportunities to make ethical decisions where someone else wouldn’t, to influence others to do the right thing, and to make a positive impact on the world.”

Reflective leadership also helps you build authentic, supportive relationships with team members and create a workplace of ethics and accountability .

If you want to adopt a reflective leadership style, here are the competencies to develop.

How to Become a Reflective Leader

Be self-reflective.

Self-reflection is at reflective leadership’s core. According to Leadership, Ethics, and Corporate Accountability , you can practice self-reflection by:

• Reviewing, analyzing, and evaluating your decisions—in the moment and over time.
• Continuously deepening your awareness and self-knowledge.
• Developing a general framework for judgment.
• Improving your capacity for action and leadership.

Leading with self-reflection won’t just help you learn from past experiences but also encourage and enable your team members to adopt reflective mentalities.

Identify Your Commitments

Knowing your commitments is also essential to effective leadership.

“It’s important to identify and define your own commitments,” Hsieh says in Leadership, Ethics, and Corporate Accountability , “both to set a baseline for what you will and won’t do and to evaluate and clarify your thoughts, opinions, and feelings when making decisions.”

To create that baseline, Hsieh recommends asking the following questions:

• What’s core to my identity?
• What lines or boundaries won’t I cross?
• What kind of life do I want to live?
• What kind of leader do I want to be?

By identifying your commitments, you can better guide yourself and your team.

Consider Your Accountability

Becoming a reflective leader also requires accountability to successfully execute on your values and implement them into action plans.

This refers to the reflective leadership model’s “action” step—putting your decisions into practice in a way that’s accountable and consistent with your responsibilities.

“When leading reflectively, straightforward action planning may not be enough,” Hsieh says in Leadership, Ethics, and Corporate Accountability . “An accountable leader will go beyond just answering ‘How will we do it?’ to ask ‘How can I do it accountably?’”

Reflective Leadership Training for Businesses

By incorporating your values into your leadership style, you can learn from your experiences on a deeper level and develop into a better leader.

One way to gain the skills and frameworks to succeed long term is by taking an online course, such as Leadership, Ethics, and Corporate Accountability . Through a dynamic, interactive learning experience, the course provides the opportunity to apply the reflective leadership model to real-world business ethics challenges.

Are you ready to become a reflective leader? Apply to Leadership, Ethics, and Corporate Accountability —one of our online leadership and management courses —and download our free e-book on effective leadership.

About the Author

Self-reflection in leadership – Part 1: Ambitions, Values and Personality

by Palena Neale | 19 Feb 2019 | Leadership

Self-reflection in leadership

Self-reflection at its simplest means taking time to think, contemplate, examine and review yourself as part of increasing your self-awareness . Self-reflection in leadership means carving out time to review yourself as a leader and is critical for your leadership development. It involves examining your current level of skills, your strengths, weaknesses, behavioural patterns and how you seek to influence others. It is also about interrogating your values, goals and ambitions. All this serves to increase your self-knowledge, alignment, authenticity, and learning and growth. Self-reflection also accelerates improvement in your leadership skills and practice – and enables you to better understand others.

“By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; Second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest.” – Confucius

Why self-reflection in leadership development?

However, according to consultant Peter Miller, once Associate Professor in Management  at  Southern  Cross University  Business  School,  Australia in Self-reflection: the key to effective leadership :

‘Most authorities on leadership development understand the importance of assisting managers and leaders to engage in self-discovery and self-reflection. Recorded statements from philosophers about the need for self-awareness and reflection for those in leadership positions goes back thousands of years to ancient philosophers and teachers like Confucius, Socrates, Plato, Jesus and Mohammed. However, research has shown that self-reflection is possibly a manager’s least favourite activity.’   

So why is self-reflection so difficult for some people? Apart from actually making time for it?

Jennifer Porter talks about the benefits of self-reflection to improve performance through assimilating lessons learned. And a recent study by Lanaj et al highlights the fact that self-reflection can motivate leaders to engage in energy-generating activities. Heightening their engagement and energising leaders also makes them more influential.

We know that self-reflection is an important process in leadership development – not only for new leaders, but for all leaders – especially those who operate in constantly changing environments.

Areas for self-reflection

Self-reflection can and should take place all throughout your leadership journey, and across all aspects of your leadership role. Let’s break down those different areas of self-knowledge:

• Personal ambitions, passions, intentions, goals
• Individual and organisational values

Personality types

• Thinking styles
• Emotional Intelligence
• Reflective learning – what to do and how to do it

In this Part 1, I’ll talk about the first 3 areas of self-reflection in leadership. Look out for Part 2 of this article , next time.

Image: Shutterstock

Ambitions, passions, goals 

In my coaching practice, I still see too many women who are reticent about their ambitions, and overly modest about their experience and achievements. It’s time to step up, speak out and be proud. Ask yourself, now:

• Desire – what do you really want?
• Passion – what lights your fire, and fills you with passion?
• Goals – what are your primary goals?

Self-reflection and self-knowledge mean exploring who you are and what you want – and specifically, identifying what you want your leadership to look like. This takes into consideration not only your values and passions, but also involves recognising your strengths and acknowledging your skills and experiences.

• What kind of leader do you want to be?
• Who do you need to be, to lead on your own terms?

Personal and organisational values

When was the last time you articulated, reviewed, or reflected on your personal values? Take time to add this activity to your agenda. Reflect on the following questions and/or Google ‘personal values test’.

Understanding your personal values is the first step to self-awareness and is an important area of self-reflection in leadership. That said, we  we often develop our most important values unconsciously. Let’s bring them to consciousness.

• A leader you admire – think of the person you most admire. Which three words or phrases describe the qualities you admire in them?
• Your legacy – what do you want to be remembered for?
• Core values – what are your values? Which things, people and qualities are most important to you?

Values-based leadership sets the tone for the organisation, from the top. Our values drive our behaviour, impacting on how we respond to the issues we encounter. They also serve as an example for others in the organisation. ‘Values-driven leadership’ has become even more important over the last decade and as Miller says, ‘the leader’s personal values may be one of the most important determinants of how the leader’s power is exercised or constrained’ in an organisation.

It is equally important to look at how your personal values align (or don’t align) with the values of the organisation you are working in.

• What are your organisation’s values?
• How do your personal values align with those of your organisation?
• How do your leadership values align with your organisation’s leadership values?
• Remember, values are not static – they can change over time – and they do not exist in isolation.

As part of self-reflection in leadership, specifically the process of gaining self-awareness, leaders should also seek to understand their own personality type. For example, are you introverted or extroverted? Intuitive or analytical? What are your strengths? How do you self-sabotage? How does this impact on your work and relationships – and on your leadership style?

There are hundreds of personality type tests (like Myers Briggs, Hogan, DISC, Birkman) and instruments that are available free, online. Just type ‘big five personality test’ into your search engine – and find out what makes you tick. Or you might also want to try Shirzad Chamine’s positive intelligence test to identify your saboteurs. Once you understand your own personality type and appreciate its implications for yourself, your work, and your team, you can ‘work yourself’ better – you’ll know how to motivate yourself, and how to improve and enhance your performance.

Then, seek to understand the personality types of your managers and followers. This enables you to predict their individual behaviour and performance, and to act in ways relevant to people’s diverse personality types. This increases the effectiveness of your communication – and achieves better outcomes.

• Self-learning: What have you learned about yourself, recently?
• Descriptions: What three words or phrases most clearly define your personality?
• Ideal: Who is your ideal self?  

In summary…

You can be a really effective leader, through self-reflection. Be self-aware and know how you respond to various situations. And remember –

• Schedule time for self-reflection in your day and/or week
• Look at both what is going well and not so well, or find a balance between the positive and the negative
• Find a way of reflecting that works for you

Next time, in Part 2, we’ll look at Self-reflection in leadership: Thinking styles, Emotional Intelligence, and Making it happen, for some practical tips to integrate self-reflection into your life.

If you feel that you or your organisation would benefit from help with self-reflection, coaching or mentoring as part of your leadership development, please get in touch to explore the possibilities open to you. I look forward to hearing from you!

Please feel free to download my new resource Designing Your Leadership Self-Reflection Practice – Guided Writing Prompts – packed with tips, tools, and guided prompts to launch your leadership self-reflection practice as you continue to strengthen your leadership.

Email me: [email protected]

Visit my website: www.unabridgedleadership.com

Please feel free to like and share my posts. Contact, link and follow me.

LinkedIn: Palena Neale

Twitter: @PalenaNeale

Palena Neale Author

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Leadership Careers Dec 2, 2016

How self-reflection can make you a better leader, setting aside 15 minutes a day can help you prioritize, prepare, and build a stronger team.

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Harry M. Kraemer

Michael Meier

Your company is expanding into China. Your most trusted team member put her notice in this morning. And your desk resembles a second-grade science experiment run amok.

As you frantically consider where to throw your attention, are you in the mood to reflect on what’s driving your behavior? To analyze your larger goals? To consider what got you into this situation and how you might avoid it in the future?

Probably not.

“The usual reaction is, ‘Well, I’ll just go faster,’” says Harry Kraemer , clinical professor of strategy at the Kellogg School and former CEO of multibillion-dollar healthcare company Baxter International. But that’s mistaking activity for productivity. And productivity demands self-reflection.

Self-Reflection in Leadership

Kraemer would know. For thirty-seven years—ever since he was unexpectedly duped into attending a spiritual retreat with his future father-in-law—he has made a nightly ritual of self-reflection. “Every day,” he emphasizes. Stepping back from the fray is how Kraemer, once the manager of 52,000 employees, avoided “running around like a chicken with his head cut off.”

Instead of constant acceleration, Kraemer says, leadership demands periods of restraint and consideration, even—perhaps especially—during a crisis. Leaders must regularly turn off the noise and ask themselves what they stand for and what kind of an example they want to set.

“Self-reflection is not spending hours contemplating your navel,” Kraemer says. “No! It’s: What are my values, and what am I going to do about it? This is not some intellectual exercise. It’s all about self-improvement, being self-aware, knowing myself, and getting better.”

Kraemer offers three ways that periodic self-reflection can strengthen leadership, as well as some of his favorite prompts.

8 Daily Self-Examination Questions

• What did I say I was going to do today in all dimensions of my life?
• What did I actually do today?
• What am I proud of?
• What am I not proud of?
• How did I lead people?
• How did I follow people?
• If I lived today over again, what would I have done differently?
• If I have tomorrow (and I am acutely aware that some day I won’t), based on what I learned today, what will I do tomorrow in all dimensions of my life?

Adapted from Harrykraemer.org

Know Your Priorities—and Where You Fall Short

Anybody in a managerial position has two basic responsibilities: prioritize what must be done, and allocate resources to get those things done efficiently. “But how can you possibly prioritize or allocate if you haven’t figured out what really matters?” Kraemer asks.

Self-reflection allows leaders to understand what is important, and focus on what might be done differently.

Kraemer described an experience at Baxter where the company was focused on increasing its growth rate. Other firms were making acquisitions right and left, while Baxter was not. “So we stepped back,” says Kraemer, “and asked, if we want to grow externally, what are other companies doing that we aren’t?” It turned out that the companies that were growing successfully had diverted resources from their core operations to establish large business-development departments. Baxter at the time had a much smaller department. But until taking time to research and reflect on the matter, “we didn’t realize we needed a larger team of people who could fully dedicate themselves to this issue,” he says.

Of course, after priorities have been defined, it is important for action to follow. To prevent a gulf between word and deed, Kraemer writes out his self-reflection each night, creating a record of what he has done and what he says he will do. He also checks continuously with family, friends, and close colleagues to ensure he is holding himself accountable and “not living in some fantasy land.”

Minimize Surprise

Members of the United States military are excellent role models for self-reflection in leadership, Kraemer says. They forecast and plan obsessively in order to do one thing—minimize surprise. “If the president of the United States calls and says, ‘I want an aircraft carrier in the Middle East,’ and the aircraft carrier gets there and all of a sudden it gets bombed, the military isn’t saying, ‘Oh, what are we going to do? We got bombed!’” he points out. “They’ve already thought that that might happen.” Likewise, while running Baxter, where he oversaw multiple chemical-processing and manufacturing plants around the world, “I wasn’t surprised if there was a fire in one of those plants or if something blew up,” he says. Quality, safety, and compliance standards are, of course, essential to minimizing the possibility of disaster. “But we were self-reflective enough to realize that it could happen. So, when it did happen, we weren’t confused,” he says. “We dealt with it.”

Of course, forecasting has its limits. For instance, COVID-19 has caught even the most self-aware leaders by surprise. But self-reflection need not mitigate only out-of-the-blue disasters; it also prepares leaders for more routine, but no less insidious disappointments. As head of a publicly traded company, for instance, Kraemer knew that not every quarterly performance was going to be positive. “To assume that performance is going to go up every single quarter—that’s not really logical. And by the way, when the drop does happen, what are you going to do about it?”

Preparation has the added benefit of reducing anxiety about the possibility of things going wrong, says Kraemer. “What keeps you up at night? I used to say, ‘I have a multibillion-dollar company…’ Now I say, ‘Nothing keeps me awake. If it takes me a while to go to sleep, I’ll just read another book.”

“If I’m going to help you develop as a leader, one of the first things I’m going to try to do is to help you understand the tremendous benefit of self-reflection.”

Build Stronger Teams

Self-reflection’s effects go beyond the self, Kraemer points out: “If I don’t know myself, is it possible for me to lead myself? I doubt that. If I can’t lead myself, how could I possibly lead other people?”

Learn more from Harry Kraemer in the Kellogg Executive Education Enterprise Leadership Program .

Strong leaders, he says, not only practice self-reflection themselves; they also encourage their teams to do so. “I have a responsibility to develop every single person I touch,” says Kraemer. And of course, a self-reflective team is a team that has its priorities straight and arrives prepared to deal with any setbacks.

So if one of his employees or students is “bouncing around like a lunatic,” he schedules a meeting with him or her to establish the value of settling down for a moment, taking a breath, and considering what’s important. “If I’m going to help you develop as a leader, one of the first things I’m going to try to do is to help you understand the tremendous benefit of self-reflection,” he says.

How can leaders get themselves, and their teams, practicing self-reflection? Kraemer does not prescribe a specific process; how a person reflects, he says, is a personal matter. (In this article, however, he shares some of his favorite prompts.)

But Kraemer is adamant that leaders—and leaders-to-be—carve self-reflection into their daily routine. It takes only 15 minutes, and can be done while taking a walk, gardening, or sipping a cup of coffee. “The reason many, many people have trouble balancing their lives is that they have not been self-reflective enough to figure out what they’re trying to balance,” he says. “You might say, ‘Boy, my spouse is really, really important to me.’ But do you spend time with her? Or do you assume you’re too busy? Is spending time with her a priority or isn’t it a priority?”

Still convinced you cannot fit self-reflection on your calendar ? That’s often an excuse to avoid an uncomfortable exercise, he says.

“There could be a pretty big difference between what you say is important and what you’re actually doing, and you may not want to confront that.”

Clinical Professor of Management & Organizations

About the Writer Dylan Walsh is a freelance writer based in Chicago.

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Leadership Style: Reflection and Analysis Essay

• To find inspiration for your paper and overcome writer’s block
• As a source of information (ensure proper referencing)
• As a template for you assignment

Introduction

Analysis of the results, explanation of the test results, the influence of chosen traits on my leadership style, test results.

The concept of leadership is an essential part of the modern world due to the fact that it is one of the key determinants of successful management. Therefore, it is critical to be able to properly assess and evaluate one’s personality and its corresponding leadership style. The main reason is that leadership can be expressed in various forms. However, it is also important for a potential leader to have the capacity to communicate his or her vision.

The test results suggest that as a leader, I possess a clear and precise vision for a company, but the biggest issue is that I might have trouble communicating my ideas. It also states that I should develop a specific set of communication skills, which will match my personality. In addition, I might lack self-assurance, which is crucial for any leader. Therefore, the main point of the test result is to encourage improving my communication skills.

According to the test results, my biggest strengths are that I have a clear vision, I am mentally resilient, I do not get distracted by staying focused, and I have a great deal of determination. In the traditional culture of organizations built on hierarchy and control, personal power was probably the most important argument for persuasion. Employees who do not believe in the goal set for them will work with enthusiasm, by force, following the orders of the boss. As far as upbringing is concerned, here, it is necessary to take into account that sympathy greatly affects human relations and interaction (Crawford, Dawkins, Martin, & Lewis, 2019). The more people like a leader, the more willing they are to persuade and influence, and this is one of the keys to effective communication.

Nevertheless, my weakest leadership and personality traits are that I do not excel at communicating my ideas, I might lack self-assurance, I can have problems in keeping employees motivated, and employees might not share my passion. In addition, it is absolutely essential to build trust and be competent. Even if they like a leader, people may doubt that he or she has enough experience, knowledge, or information that would add weight to your words. The ability to build trust plays a huge role in persuasion, influence, and effective communication. A leader should think about how much the interlocutor sympathizes and trusts him/her and his/her words.

Having a clear vision is a vital trait for a leader, thus, I will share it by communicating it through texts and images, because they do not directly require person-to-person interaction. My mental resilience will not only help me to stay focused, but it also can be used to make the company as resilient as possible. In addition, I, as a leader, who cannot get distracted, will remove all unnecessary distractions among employees and the workplace.

However, it is critical for me to develop strong communication skills in order to better communicate my vision and goal. My introverted personality can be used to my advantage by assigning personal meetings with my employees. Although I can have problems with keeping employees motivated, I can solve that by setting up an effective reward system in the workplace. My perceived lack of self-assurance can be eliminated by using my resilience during difficult times.

In conclusion, it is highly important for a leader to have a clear vision and to be able to communicate it to his or her followers. My greatest strength is my resilience, which means that I always stay focused on the primary goal. However, I have issues in transferring the given determination and motivation to my employees. Thus, I should use my strengths to cover my weaknesses by communicating with my key employees on a personal level.

“Even if you have a clear vision for your company, it is not an easy task for you to communicate these plans in a way that excites others. Employees likely won’t put a great deal of effort into achieving goals for which they share little or no passion. The manner in which you communicate your vision is essential. For instance, if you present your ideas to others in a manner that sometimes lacks self-assurance, they likely won’t go over well. People who excel in this area are innovative visionaries who are confident in their ability to persuade and convince others. They consider it essential to make those they lead aware of, as well as part of, their vision.”

Crawford, J. A., Dawkins, S., Martin, A., & Lewis, G. (2019). Putting the leader back into authentic leadership: Reconceptualising and rethinking leaders. Australian Journal of Management, 1 (1), 2-9.

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IvyPanda. (2022, January 16). Leadership Style: Reflection and Analysis. https://ivypanda.com/essays/leadership-style-reflection-and-analysis/

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Reflecting on Yourself as a Leader

Schools need leaders who don’t yet think they are leaders and those of us teachers who are apprehensive about embracing the roles and responsibilities of leadership.

It took me a long, long time to accept the notion that as a teacher, I was also a leader; that as a department chair, I was also a leader; and that as a coach, I was also a leader. This was because I was operating within traditional definitions of leadership: I didn't have a formal leadership title -- like  principal -- nor did I have any kind of certificate or degree granting me the role and responsibilities.

But I was a leader -- for my students and for my colleagues -- because leadership has much more to do with how we think about what we do and why than it does about formal titles and degrees. And I imagine that many of you are also leaders whether you're aware of it or not.

Formal and Informal Leadership

Informal leadership is present and essential in all organizations, and informal leadership can be conducive to a school's health and effectiveness, or destructive. Think about your school: Whose thoughts and opinions are most respected and listened to amongst staff? In addition to those in positional leadership roles (the administrators), who else influences staff? Who has a loud voice? Who is respected? Who is feared?

Now think about yourself as a leader. Does the suggestion that you are a leader excite you or scare you? What does it mean to you to be a leader? What might be possible if you thought of yourself as a leader?

I'd like to suggest that in order to transform our schools, we'll need many, many more leaders. We'll need the leaders who don't yet think they are leaders and those of us who are apprehensive about embracing the roles and responsibilities of leadership, and we'll need to have reflected deeply on what we mean by leadership and on who we are as leaders. Towards that end, I'd like to offer you some prompts.

Transformation Starts with Self-Awareness

In my new book, The Art of Coaching Teams , I suggest that to develop healthy teams of educators who can do the hard work of transforming schools, we must start with ourselves as team leaders. We can't tackle unhealthy team dynamics or unfocused meetings until we know who we are as leaders and until we've explored our beliefs around power.

The first area for us to reflect on is around models of leadership in our society. Here are some questions from my book that can support this reflection:

• Who is a leader you admire?
• Who are the leaders in your community, city, and country?
• What kind of leadership do they demonstrate?
• How did they come to be leaders? Can you relate to them?
• What do you think makes a good leader?
• What kind of leader do you aspire to be?

Very few societies have shared agreements about what constitutes good leadership. Depending on your beliefs and values, a good leader might listen to all voices and take them into account when making a decision; or a good leader might consult with a few trusted advisors and then make a decision; or a good leader might make a decision alone based on his or her expert knowledge and experience.

Team leaders can benefit from exploring the big philosophical questions that surround the definition of good leadership. When we are aware of our core values, beliefs, dispositions, preferences, and histories, we can make conscious choices about our leadership stance.

What's Your Leadership Style?

Who you are as a leader is the next big area to explore. Here are some of the questions I offer to guide in this exploration:

• Who held power in your family when you were growing up? What kind of power was that? What was it based on?
• What were you taught about authority in your childhood home? What granted someone authority?
• Why do you lead in the way you do?
• What assumptions are you acting on as a leader about yourself, your team, and the work to be done?
• How does the system in which you are operating impact who you are as a leader?
• How do you negotiate power dynamics as a leader? Where do you notice power playing a role in your leadership?
• What kind of leader do you aspire to be? How do you want others to see you?
• What kind of leader does your team need you to be?
• What kind of leader does the community you serve need you to be?

Leadership is complex and contextual. Our circumstances heavily influence who we are and can be as leaders. In order to understand the complexity, we will all benefit from spending some reflective time considering our backgrounds, beliefs, and actions.

This reflection can help us embrace ourselves as leaders, refine our skill set, and create the change we hope to see in our schools.

Leadership Reflection Essay Examples

Self reflection leadership essay example, reflections on leadership, introduction.

When we talk about leadership, it’s not something that is practiced in the workplace but in fact it is in every little thing that exists around us. The phenomenon comes handy in any situation where a leader steps in and takes control. The place doesn’t matter; it could be your home, your office or any public place.

For those who think leaders are born, let me correct, leaders are made, with the ability and the credibility that people put their trust into. In this leadership reflection essay example I will be discussing my leadership strengths and the areas for improvement and growth.

Over the years, I have had the privilege of observing the concept of leadership in different contexts, which made me understand the traits that an effective leader requires. In this reflection essay I will be sharing my learnings and viewpoints on leadership drawn from observations and personal experiences.

Understanding the Nature of Leadership

As mentioned in the beginning of this reflection on leadership essay, leadership is not about imposing power over others. Practically, leadership is a complex blend of character, skill set and decisions that steer people towards one single goal.

Leadership is all about inspiring and influencing individuals that motivate them to complete certain tasks or achieve goals instead of coercing them. In my experience, leadership is a continuous journey to self discovery, its perseverance towards continuous learning and personal growth.

The Role of Vision

One of the most important aspects of leadership is to be clear about your vision and mission. The leader must thoughtfully come up with a vision that is in sync with goals of the team and the organization. If curated carefully, this vision acts as a guiding light towards a shared goal and purpose.

In my experience over the years I have witnessed leaders who have a focused vision are able to inspire others to follow their steps that ultimately lead to success.

Effective Communication and Empathy

To put your viewpoint across, effective communication is key especially when you are leading a team. The role of a leader demands clear communication of the vision, expectations and objectives so that he is able to be persuasive accordingly.

Many fail to understand that listening is equally important as communicating. It is extremely crucial for the leader to listen empathetically and comprehend so that he/she is able to address the concerns of the team.

During my learning experience in the role of a leader I found that when you listen to your team, and you are empathetic to their concerns you build trust, collaboration and people have a sense of belonging.

The Ability to Adapt and Resilience

Leadership is a concept that is variable and fits each to its own, there is no one leadership style that can be used for all. I can tell from experience that the role of a leader is quite challenging, where he has to face uncertainty, adapt to different situations and show resilience.

A good leader is the one who is flexible enough to steer through challenges, learn from the setbacks and have an optimistic approach towards inspiring teams. The ones who persevere through such challenges are able to pull through difficult times. So that makes flexibility, resilience and openness to new ideas as important qualities of a leader.

A Leader Show Lead by Example

The most important trait of a leader is to lead by example. Their role demands to practice the same values, attitudes and behavior that they expect from their team. This way, they lead by example and build trust and authenticity. Below mentioned are 7 ways you can lead by example:

• Polish Your Leadership Skills – One of the best ways to lead by example is by getting training and learning how to build your skills and mindset accordingly.
• Handle Conflict in a Constructive Manner – You cannot expect your team to handle conflicts if you are unable to do so yourself. Learn to address conflicts in a calm and productive way.
• Communicate Kindly and Respectfully: A conflict can only be managed well if the tone is respectful and kind, reflecting that you care about your team.
• Revert After Failure: Failure is natural in a business or personal life that can take place anytime a decision is made or risk is taken.
• Practice Ethical Leadership: Never let moral values like honesty, transparency, integrity, respect and fairness leave your side.
• Embrace Diversity: Create policies and procedures that make employees feel comfortable and welcomed. Keep an open mind and encourage different viewpoints.
• Take Care of Your Well-Being: If you are unwell, it would be difficult to lead the team in compromised health.

To sum it all, leadership is a continuous journey that continues for life. My reflections on these leadership reflective essay examples have led me to understand the complexity and depth of how this concept works.

Leadership is a lifelong journey, and my reflections on this subject have led me to appreciate its depth and complexity. It is not a destination but a continuous process of growth and self-improvement. Effective leaders are not born; they are made through experiences, self-awareness, and a commitment to keep inspiring and empower others.

As I move forward on this journey, I have learned to evolve as a leader. These reflections would work as a guidance manual. So far, I have learned that leadership is not a title or an authoritative state, it’s how we affect others lives in a positive manner.

Beyond a role, this is a great responsibility that I carry with great enthusiasm and strive to make a positive difference in the lives of people surrounding me.

It is a responsibility that I embrace with humility and enthusiasm, driven by a desire to make a positive difference in the world around me.

• https://www.betterup.com/blog/leading-by-example
• https://www.ipl.org/essay/Reflection-Paper-On-Leadership-PKERL7HESCFR  

Leadership Style Reflective Essay Example

Reflecting on leadership styles.

Usually, when one is integrating effective leadership styles into routine practice, there is a need to self-reflect to know your standing and then trying out different approaches to see which one clicks. But at the base, in this reflection on leadership essay I can confidently share that leadership is a concept that one can only develop through time and with continuous development.

In this leadership reflection essay example , I plan to explore the concept with a wideview and walk you through different leadership styles and share how they have impacted my growth and improved me as a leader.

Autocratic Leadership

During the initial phase of my career I realized I was more inclined towards the autocratic leadership style. Since it was so early in my career, I was of the view that being authoritative and decisive is what shapes up a good leader. Most of the time I would find myself making important decisions without keeping my team in the loop or seeking to ask for their advice.

As amazingly effective this authoritative leadership style was in numerous situations, I soon realized its limitations. It tampered with creativity, isolated my team and created an unwelcoming environment where open communication was discouraged because there was only one person in charge.

When I reflected on this style I realized that no matter how important quick decision making was in certain situations, it’s equally important to involve your team in the decision making process. This not only gets you to get creative ideas and different perspectives but also makes the team involved and gives them a sense of ownership.

Democratic Leadership

Once I realized that I need to include my team and give them a sense of ownership, I transitioned towards a more inclusive approach, the democratic leadership style. My team was very happy with this approach since they were more involved, and encouraged collaboration. I started getting some amazing ideas from my team and they too got comfortable in sharing their perspective.

While this leadership style empowered my team and promoted creativity, it had its own set of challenges. It would take a lot of time to reach a consensus and hence delay the decision making process slower. Also, it was difficult to reach a consensus everytime, with so many different perspectives.

So finally I realized that a democratic approach is viable only when you have sufficient time for the discussion and the team is equipped with the relevant expertise. It was necessary that a balance was achieved when it came to making the decisions in a timely manner and involving the team.

Transformational Leadership

My journey as a leader has been a great learning experience and I took each of the lessons to bring about a positive change. As I continued further on my journey of refining my skills, transformational leadership style caught my attention. This style is inclined towards motivating and inspiring individuals so that they can explore their full potential and achieve their best.

This approach included setting up a vision that was compelling to foster innovation and strive for personal growth. The biggest trait of transformational leaders is that they lead by example and bring about a positive change in the work environment where everyone works with full zeal.

When I started practicing this leadership style I found out that it encouraged both personal and professional development amongst the members of the team. But it’s not simple as it sounds, it requires full commitment to the vision and a high level of emotional intelligence to regulate your feelings and connect with people on a personal level.

Servant Leadership

My yearning to be a holistic leader brought me to a phase in my journey where I got an opportunity to explore servant leadership. With this style, you prioritize others’ needs over your own, reflecting an empathetic nature and practicing selflessness and humility. This style demands an active listening ear so that you as a leader are able to understand their concerns, address them and provide support accordingly.

I realized that servant leadership helped me create an impact on the team where I was able to build trust and build strong relationships with my team. Also, putting your team’s needs ahead of your own is something that requires a strong will power and a lot of patience.

To conclude, my leadership journey has been very explorational in nature where I got the opportunity to learn and experiment with my leadership styles, not once but several times. Along with highlighting my strengths and weaknesses in the leadership reflective essay examples in the initial phase of my journey I got to learn, unlearn and relearn a lot of things.

I got clarity that when it comes to leadership, there is no one size that fits all, it is multifaceted. In order to practice an effective leadership style it is important that the leader is flexible and can adapt to different styles according to different situations and different teams.

Furthermore, as I look back and reflect on my past experiences, I am looking forward to polishing my leadership skills and styles all the while seeking opportunities for growth and advancement. Also, I will try to integrate the best of the learnings on my style that I have come across so far.

I strive to be a leader who is quick to think on his feet and is able to make instant decisions. Also, I want to inspire and motivate individuals with my transformational approach and practicing servant leadership. I aim to be empathetic enough that I keep the needs of others above myself.

Eventually, leadership is a dynamic and overwhelming journey that leads to self discovery, growth, and persistent improvement.

Izzah Ahmed

This is Izzah, a content writer and editor who creates SEO-friendly content and has experience in academic writing. Backed by 10 years of experience in writing and editing, she is equipped with the skill to create content that is backed by thorough research and has impeccable structure.

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Reflecting on the Leadership Journey

Leadership skills are among the most critical competencies for both MBA students and executives to master. As a business professor with a background in experimental social psychology, I believe leadership requires people to carefully explore their own beliefs as well as to communicate those beliefs to others. Therefore, my approach to teaching leadership is based on encouraging students to come to an understanding of their own personal values and goals.

When I teach leadership, the first assignment I give is called “This I Believe.” In a 350- to 500-word essay, students must describe the content and significance of their personal credos. This assignment draws from the National Public Radio series of the same name that ran from 2005 to 2009, which was based on the 1950s radio program hosted by Edward R. Murrow. Murrow specifically wanted to broadcast personal philosophies “simply and sincerely spoken” so that they might “stimulate and help” those who hear them. Each essay starts with the words, “I believe.”

Once students have articulated their beliefs, I introduce them to a series of activities designed to enable them to reflect, explore ideas, and enhance their self-understanding.

Enabling Reflection

Building leadership capacity is essentially a process of self-discovery. I help my students uncover, articulate, and understand their own definitions of leading, managing, and following. Through the process of tackling perceptive questions, they grow their leadership capital and their ability to choose the behavior appropriate to the current situation. Here are a few examples of perceptive questions:

What is your earliest leadership story?  This exercise helps students uncover when and how they have demonstrated leadership behaviors. I encourage them to go beyond answers such as becoming class president or organizing a book club. Their stories reveal how they have already taken steps into the unknowable future. Later in the course, I ask them to write their most recent leadership stories and look for the common threads between the earlier and later examples.

Students uncover and articulate their own definitions of leading.

What leadership myths do you believe—and which ones might be untrue? As part of leadership development, I believe it’s important for students to examine stereotypical assumptions, such as “leaders have charisma.” I ask students to juxtapose concepts of “leader” and “manager.” What underlying meanings do they automatically ascribe to one or the other—or both? How valid are these impressions? As students begin to question their longstanding ideas, they find themselves coming up with new ideas and ways to change the way they behave in the future.

What makes you an effective follower?  We tend to think of followers as being passive and uncritical—“sheep,” as Carnegie Mellon’s Robert Kelley calls them. He helps us turn this thinking on its head and realize that good followers are actively engaged in critical thinking about the tasks at hand. With that in mind, I ask students to consider three questions. Under what conditions are you actively engaged and thinking critically? How can you create conditions in which the people who report to you or work with you are more actively engaged and thinking more critically? What does it mean to contribute?

Elaborating on Ideas

When I was an assistant professor, Stanford University’s Jeffrey Pfeffer taught me about the importance of managing meaning. Among the most important ways we do this, I learned, is through the use of symbols.

One of my favorite symbols is a green pen, which I like because it’s practical and useful. I give one to all of my students. I chose a pen because I believe that if you don’t write something down, it doesn’t exist; it’s a figment of your imagination. The pen reminds them to collect the data of their experiences in writing. I chose green because, according to poet Pablo Neruda, green is the color of hope. I hope my students will become “wiser, younger”—that is, that they will develop wisdom in the present moment, because they will never be younger than they are right now.

Even faculty who don’t hand out green pens can give students assignments that require collecting data. One assignment might be to have students write their definitions of leadership, making sure they eliminate more stereotypical notions. They should start with a zero draft—that is, a draft that is more of a brainstorming session than a writing exercise. Over time, they can revisit this exercise to see how their definitions have evolved. By the end of the course, they should have gained a better understanding of themselves and the ways and the times they have had the courage to introduce change.

Enhancing Self-Understanding

When students reflect on themselves and capture the data of their own experiences, they create the capacity to make better and more thoughtful behavioral choices. They are essentially learning how to coach themselves.

The first step in enhancing self-understanding is learning to capture the “gist,” or the essence of a situation. It’s that sweet spot that’s neither concrete nor abstract—above the level of the muck and details, while solidly below the clouds. For example, when students capture the gist of a painting, they are able to figure out what it means to them and to capture its core meaning succinctly. When they capture the gist of their own histories, they are able to articulate their leadership journeys.

The first step in enhancing self-understanding is capturing the essence of a situation.

In addition to learning from their own experiences, students can gain understanding by observing other people. Once my students have practiced finding the gist of their own experiences, I have them apply the exercise to the experiences of others. One approach is through this three-step assignment:

• First, I have them consider people and behaviors they admire, and explain why. I tell them to identify someone they know or can gain access to who exhibits the behaviors they respect.
• Next, they must schedule an interview to find out more about that person and why he or she thinks a certain way or has made certain choices. They must identify the gist of the interview and write it down.
• Finally, they begin creating what I call Vicarious Learning Frameworks. They figure out a way that works for them to collect, organize, and process observations—that becomes their framework. Then they analyze the knowledge they’ve gained vicariously, and add it to the wisdom they’ve gained from their own experiences.

Putting It All Together

As students gain self-understanding, they also gain confidence. They’ve articulated their own definitions of leading, managing, and following; they’ve developed their own points of view about themes that matter to them. Because they are “wiser, younger,” they realize they know how to lead. I call this leadership capital.

When students grow their leadership capital, they become stronger from within. In this respect, I equate mastering leadership to constructing a skyscraper. Architects and engineers understand that if they are building from a solid core rather than relying on exterior, load-bearing walls, their buildings can soar to the sky. When people realize that structural integrity comes from within, they can reach amazing heights.

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Seven tips for designing a leadership self-reflection practice.

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Executive and Leadership Coach, Lecturer, Founder of  unabridged  – engaging your power and potential for greater personal and social impact.

Self-reflection, at its simplest, means taking time to slow down and think about you and your experiences, as part of increasing your self-awareness, learning and growth. Self-reflection in leadership means devoting time to think about yourself as a leader and is critical for your leadership development. It involves contemplating your current level of skills, strengths, weaknesses, behavioral patterns and how you seek to influence others. It is also about exploring and getting clarity on your values, goals and ambitions. All this serves to increase your self-awareness, alignment, authenticity, learning and growth. Self-reflection also accelerates improvement in your leadership skills and practice — including your emotional intelligence — and enables you to better understand others.

So how can you prioritize this essential development activity and build a regular reflection practice? Here are seven tips to get you started.

1. (Re)commit to continuous learning.

You may already identify as having a growth mindset or being a continuous learner. Go one step further by making it explicit and add self-reflection to your existing repertoire.

Professor Peter Miller  says , "Reflective learning is a well-grounded theory based on the capacity of an individual to reflect on their own words and actions and to undertake a learning process through such reflection. This can be done every day at work while you are on the job."

2. Set an intention to reflect consistently.

Schedule 10 or 30 minutes a day (or week) into your diary to protect the time for reflection. Ideally, you'll set time aside to write every day. However, just making time each week is a great start. Try to find a quiet time and place without distractions. 

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3. Start with one prompt or theme and see where it goes.

You might start by reflecting on a meeting you led, a difficult conversation or your week in review. You may want to choose a specific area for self-reflection, such as your goals and ambitions, values or even your emotional intelligence.

• A meeting: What went well? What would you like to do differently in the future? What did you learn?

• The week in review: What went well this week? What did you learn? If you had the chance to do something over, what would it be and why?

• Highlights: What was your best leadership moment this week? How could you do more of this next week?

• Your leadership: What kind of leader do you want to be? How do you think your team sees you as a leader? How does this compare to how you see yourself? What do you want to be remembered for?

• Values: If you were to lead with your most important value, what would that look like? How do your values align with your organization’s values?

 4. Give yourself permission to narrate your experiences.

Focus on getting all your thoughts, feelings and ideas down. Be as descriptive as possible in your writing. For example, when you’re describing your feelings, write about the thoughts connected to them and how those emotions felt in your body. For instance, “My heart was racing when I was confronting my boss and telling him that I did not appreciate him going directly to my team, asking them for help and bypassing me,” or “I felt completely disengaged and my mind was wondering why when my colleague monopolized the discussion again, and no one challenged this — including me.” This will help to increase your awareness and give clarity to your emotions and thoughts. Use the prompts to reflect on your experiences — the good, the bad and the ugly.

Don’t self-censor and don’t worry about spelling or grammar — nobody’s checking! This is for you and your development alone. This is a great learning, processing and development strategy to add to your healthy leading repertoire.

5. Be honest.

It’s important to be realistic and acknowledge weaknesses. This also means checking our negativity bias and mining for the positive, which may be disguised as a learning opportunity.

• Challenge yourself to identify what went well and/or one strength you exercised or something learned.

• Be solution-focused. Take the learning from any "failures" and plan actions to improve.  

• Consider your responsibility (How am I contributing to this difficult relationship with X?) and the consequences for your (in)action (What are the effects of what I did or didn't do?).

6. Switch things up.

There are many ways to develop your own reflection practice to suit your preferences and style. Experiment until you find a practice that works for you.

• Change up the time. If you normally reflect at the end of the week, try the beginning. Or start a morning ritual of writing down three things that make you a good leader.

• Reflect with others. While reflection is often about being alone with your thoughts, it can help to talk things through with others, too. Reach out to a colleague, trusted mentor or coach. 

• Try different journal formats. Simple pen and paper work well, but you can also try reflection apps, dictating your thoughts into a recorder or filming a video of your thoughts and feelings. 

• In addition to the prompts above, search online for reflective questions or keep a running list of ideas for your next session.

7. Think of self-reflection as part of your self-care.

Taking time to slow down and reflect on your experiences is vital for improving your self-awareness and creating space for intention and choice. We learn and grow from all our experiences, and taking the time to consider these lessons is an act of self-care . Reflective practice accelerates improvement in your leadership skills and enables you to better understand yourself and others. So, invest in yourself!

Set an intention to reflect every day, even if you start small. You and your leadership deserve it!

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A Reflection on Leadership based on my experience with the LEADER Project

Nov 2, 2012

Leadership is a quality that's innate in me. Whether it was in the playground at pre-school, the soccer-field growing up, student council in high school or various teams I am involved in at Ivey, a common theme has been my desire and willingness to lead. For a long time I thought this was because I enjoyed being in a position of control, a position of influence where I could shape the direction of a particular project or initiative. To some extent, this was the case; but I only recently realized that it was the desire to have an impact that I love most about being a leader. In fact, the ability to make an impact is how I would define leadership. Often times, leadership is seen as a title, a position that one is chosen for or given to make decisions and lead a group of people. These individuals are leaders, of course, as they're able to make significant impact on a large group of people; but we forget that leaders are everywhere in our society and more often than not they are leaders in an unorthodox sense. Whether they are artists, teachers, or musicians, many of them make an impact on their communities and those who choose to do so intentionally are leaders in their own right.

This is not to say that everyone can be a leader. I believe there are certain personality traits, skillsets and motivations that need to be present for effective leadership to take place. However, I believe leadership is a means to generating impact and I believe there are numerous individuals out there who do this on a daily basis who we would never consider as being leaders in the traditional sense of the word.

My LEADER experience has been paramount to me redefining my definition of leadership. I have personally been very fortunate to have had formal opportunities to develop my leadership skills and be provided with opportunities to exhibit it as well. This has given me tremendous exposure to new opportunities and only accelerated my growth as a leader. However, after visiting Russia I realized that such opportunities are unheard of in their communities. They don't have student councils, leadership institutes, summer enrichment programs or entrepreneurship incubators. These were all formal institutions that allowed me to practice and develop my leadership skills. This begged the question: is there a lack of leaders in Russia? Absolutely not. Many of the students I had a chance to work with were budding entrepreneurs with ambitious goals for solving critical problems in their communities. Several of them had already pursued various community service projects and some even had international experiences which they sought out on their own.

One student in our class, Julia, was particularly inspirational. She came from a very low-income family and was financing her tuition by founding an adventure sports startup. Specifically, she had partnered with a hot-air balloon pilot and began offering excursions to individuals in the nearby city of Samara. This was a brand new offering unbeknownst to a region that attracted little to no tourists. Despite this seemingly massive hurdle, Julia persevered with her vision and successfully ran this business over the course of the last two years. Since then, she has expanded their offerings to include mountain biking and hiking tours as well. This just goes to show the determination and commitment she made to her education and creating a service that genuinely added value in a unique way for her community. Julia didn't have mentors, venture capitalists or incubators to help guide her through this process. She did her own research, invested the little capital that she could afford and courage to take on this enormous challenge. Julia is a true leader.

Despite a lack of formal infrastructure in place to foster leaders in the traditional sense, many students were still forging their own ways of making an impact. This is what leadership is all about. I'm extremely fortunate and grateful for having the opportunity to experience this first hand. It inspires me to know that youth all around the world embody a passion for change, a desire to lead and a commitment to making an impact. LEADER is a phenomenal initiative that is supporting this dream and opening doors that otherwise may never have opened - for our students, the entrepreneurs, and for us, the LEADERites.

Essay Service Examples Business Leadership Styles

My Experience In Leadership Styles: Reflective Essay

Table of contents

Leadership., description: what happened, feelings: what were you thinking or feeling, evaluation: what was good and bad about the experience, analysis: what sense can you make of the situation, conclusion: what else could you have done, action plan: if it arose again, what would you do.

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• Cherry, K. 2017, August 4, 2017-last update, Leadership Styles: 5 Major Styles of Leadership [Homepage of Explore Psychology], [Online]. Available: https://www.explorepsychology.com/leadership-styles/ [2019, Accessed, December/14].
• Cope, V. & Murray, M. 2017, Leadership styles in nursing., First edn, Nursing Standard, Australia.
• Cummings, J. 2014, Leadership: What's in a Word? First edn, NHS England, United Kingdom.
• Frandsen, B. 2013, Nursing Leadership, Management and Leadership Styles, American Association of Nurse Assessment Coordination, United States.
• Gaille, B. 2018, June 25, 2018-last update, 11 Autocratic Leadership Advantages and Disadvantages [Homepage of Brandon Gaille], [Online]. Available: https://brandongaille.com/11-autocratic-leadership-advantages-and-disadvantages/ [2019, Accessed, November/18].
• Kendra, C. 2020. Autocratic Leadership Key Characteristics, Strengths, and Weaknesses of Autocratic Leadership [Homepage of Very Well Mind], [Online]. Available: https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-autocratic-leadership-2795314#characteristics-of-autocratic-leadership [2019, Accessed, December/20].
• Leadership 2019, 10/08/2019-last update [Homepage of Royal College of Nursing], [Online]. Available: https://www.rcn.org.uk/clinical-topics/clinical-governance/leadership [2019, Accessed, November 14].
• Lockwood, W. 2019, Clinical Supervision: Leadership Styles, RN.org, United States.
• Monahan, B.P., Ferguson, C.L. & Killeavy, E.S. 1990, Torsade’s de Pointes Occurring in Association with Terfenadine Use, First edn, JAMA, United States.
• Norwich University 2017, December 4, 2017-last update, 5 Leadership Styles for Clinical Nurse Leaders. [Homepage of Norwich University Online], [Online]. Available: https://online.norwich.edu/academic-programs/resources/5-leadership-styles-for-clinical-nurse-leaders [2019, Accessed, November/25].
• Royal College of Nursing 2020. Leadership skills. [Homepage of Royal College of Nursing], [Online]. Available: https://www.rcn.org.uk/professional-development/your-career/nurse/leadership-skills [Accessed, 2019, Accessed, December/10].
• Steinhauer, R. 2016, October 20, 2016-last update, When ‘bad’ is good: A time and place for autocratic leadership. [Homepage of Reflections on Nursing Leadership], [Online]. Available: https://www.reflectionsonnursingleadership.org/features/more-features/Vol42_4_when-bad-is-good-a-time-and-place-for-autocratic-leadership [2019, Accessed, December 18].
• Stephenson, J. 2014, 23 April 2014-last update, Exclusive: ‘6Cs’ nursing values to be rolled out to all NHS staff. [Homepage of The Nursing Times], [Online]. Available: https://www.nursingtimes.net/roles/nurse-managers/exclusive-6cs-nursing-values-to-be-rolled-out-to-all-nhs-staff-23-04-2014/ [2019, Accessed, November/20].
• Storey, J. & Holti, R. 2013, Towards a New Model of Leadership for the NHS, First edn, NHS Leadership Academy, United Kingdom.
• The Kings Fund 2015, 25 February 2015-last update, Leadership and leadership development in health care: The evidence base. [Homepage of The Kings Fund], [Online]. Available: https://www.kingsfund.org.uk/publications/leadership-and-leadership-development-health-care [2019, Accessed, November/20].
• Top Nursing 2020. Leadership Styles in Nursing for Improved Quality of Care [Homepage of Top Nursing], [Online]. Available: https://www.topnursing.org/leadership-styles-in-nursing/ [2019, Accessed, December/16].

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Reflective leadership  

Reflective leadership is something relatively new to me as a formal concept, I have over the years thought about my own personal leadership skills so maybe in hindsight I was being reflective? One of the best ways of describing reflective leadership is from a web article I discovered whilst researching this narrative.

“ Reflective leadership is a way of approaching the work of being a leader by leading one’s life with presence and personal mastery. Learning to be present, to be aware and attentive to our experience with people throughout the day is the focus of reflective leadership .” (Sara Horton-Deutsch, 2013)

It struck me that taking a personal leadership journey, one of self-awareness and self-challenge adds a whole new dimension to the way in which I have reflected on my leadership and engagement with colleagues in the past. I was reminded of situations where I had adopted a more direct approach where, on reflection, it required more collaboration; a bitter pill to swallow in many respects.

What interests me about being a reflective leader is it moves you from an “action bias” to a more reflective and collaborative approach one where you are constantly in a cycle of learning; effective leaders reflect on their past experiences and search for relevant, different insights before the decision making process. (Goker & Bozkus, 2017) Some of the questions you might ask yourself:

• What have I learnt?
• What were my feelings and thoughts as it was happening?
• How could I explain my experience?
• How could I make use of learning for my future actions?
• What is your opinion of way I felt and acted?
• How have I reacted and behaved?

“Reflective leadership can be considered as a way of approaching the work of being a leader by leading one’s life with presence and personal mastery . In other words, it requires learning to be present, to be aware and attentive to our experience with people in our daily life, and it regards leadership from the standpoint of human experience.” (Goker & Bozkus, 2017)

So the journey has to start with a series of self- assessments, in my own personal experience I often look forward, look back and ask myself, is where I am  where I want to be? If the answer is yes then great you must be a great leader…but I suspect, as is with my journey the answer and reflection meant I needed to improve.

The question remains: how is being a reflective leader linked to engagement? I think the short answer is it’s a critical part of the whole process. One model sticks out for me developed by (Taggart GL, 2005). ‘One of the first steps to reflective thinking involves identifying a problem, challenge, or dilemma. Next, step back from the problem and look at the situation from a third person perspective in order to frame or reframe the problem. Ask yourself: How might an outsider view this situation? This second step involves observation, data gathering, reflection, and consideration of moral principles. These aspects help to provide a mental picture of your thinking in an attempt to define the context of the situation.’

Reflective leadership coveys a sense and practical application of collaboration, it involves listening and learning from the experience and from others.

“As a reflective leader, share your reflective thoughts with others and invite them to consider things as well. Enter into relationships with others without presenting a front or pretense, but instead being self-aware, this type of real and genuine approach supports an even playing field and conveys that I value other persons and their contributions.” (Sara Horton-Deutsch, 2013)

I believe that engagement must start with reflection simply so that both parties or at the very least the leader in the conversation has the presence of mind to understand the discussion as a whole and listens without judgement or predetermination; mindful of their responses and open to the process whilst active and fully present in the moment. By considering your experience, their experience and reflecting before a decision, you help to build a collaborative environment and nurture mutual respect in that’s instance and hopefully, as you become a more reflective leader, those future opportunities to engage with your people.

Written by: Richard Louw, Senior Officer, Border Force and Virtual Content Team Volunteer

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Goker, S. D., & Bozkus, K. (2017). Reflective Leadership: Learning to Manage and Lead Human Organizations, Contemporary Leadership Challenges,. In Aida Alvinius (Ed.)Ph.D., Contemporary Leadership Challenges (p. Chapter 2). https://www.intechopen.com/books/contemporary-leadership-challenges/reflective-leadership-learning-to-manage-and-lead-human-organizations.

Sara Horton-Deutsch, P. C. (2013, February). Thinking it through: The path to reflective leadership. American Nurse Today, Vol 8 no 2. Retrieved from American Nurse TOday.

Taggart GL, W. A. (2005). Promoting Reflective Thinking in Teachers. 2nd ed. Thousand Oaks: Corwin Press.

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The 8 key leadership skills you need to know in 2024

Anyone can be placed in a leadership role, but  to be good and thrive in that position requires solid leadership skills . Leadership skills are typically at the top of the list of competencies that recruiters focus on when hiring, or when managers are promoted from within an organization.

Effective leadership skills are crucial, both in a professional and personal capacity and are vital in facilitating effective team dynamics, driving success, managing change, and promoting personal and professional development.

Some of the world’s largest companies hunt for people with well-honed leadership skills to fill their most sought after executive positions.

8 key leadership skills you need to know about:

• Relationship building
• Agility and adaptability
• Innovation and creativity
• Employee motivation
• Decision-making
• Conflict management
• Negotiation
• Critical Thinking

1. Relationship building (the foundation of a high-performing team)

Some leaders will say they that they do not need to be loved in the workplace to succeed. This may be true, but to build a cohesive and more engaged team, great managers need the  leadership skills  to forge strong working relationships with their employees.

Leaders with strong, trusting and authentic relationships with their teams know that investing time in building these bonds makes them more effective as a leader, and creates a foundation for success.

Good working relationships increase employee engagement and according to Gallup’s meta-analysis of employee engagement, business units with good employee engagement have 41% fewer quality defects and 37% less absenteeism. A 21% increase in productivity was also seen to result from higher employee engagement.

So even if you think you don’t need to be loved in the workplace, you will definitely need to be skilled in building good relationships in order to be an  effective leader.  

If your team is highly engaged and happy in the workplace, you are likely to be well  respected as a leader  with employees who love what they do, and hopefully the strong relationships you cultivate will help your team perform at their highest level.

Tips for leaders to navigate relationships in the workplace »

2. Agility and adaptability (stay at the cutting edge as a leader)

In a study conducted by Development Dimensions International in 2008, one of the most important leadership qualities, was the ability to facilitate change. Fast-forward to 2024, adaptability is  one of the most important  leadership skills. 

Leaders need to contend with a hyper-competitive business environment, geo-politics, climate change, the changes advanced by the COVID-19 pandemic and many more factors, all of which require leaders to adapt and develop agility.

Effective leaders must be able to adapt to both internal, and external changes – even if that means working outside of your comfort zone. As a leader you need to develop a lifelong learning mentality to ensure that you are not left behind by shifts in your industry, and can give your business the competitive edge. This is where as a leader you need to be agile and adaptable, which is easier said than done.

One key way to develop  leadership agility and adaptability  is to be accountable and assume your responsibilities, making sure that you have laid out a plan on how you should respond to change.

This plan should contain an achievable timeline, allowing you to constantly check your progress on how well you are adapting to the change and how you are exemplifying this to your team.

Read IMD article on agile leadership in an age of digital disruption »

3. Innovation and creativity (learn to push your boundaries)

Innovation in leadership  is of utmost importance for every company. Successful innovation begins with ideation — the phase where outstanding ideas are developed and become the foundation of innovation success.

Consider some of the industry leaders, what did it take for Apple to become a leader technology industry? They made innovations to products with their customers in mind.

Steve Jobs, and perhaps even more so Tim Cook led the innovation and creativity for Apple Inc. by continuously forging ahead of the competition, and this probably made them some of the most  innovative leaders  within the tech industry.

The increasing demand for creativity and innovation will continue to be a driving force for executives, as  who must harness their leadership skills in these areas to be effective and competitive.

4. Employee motivation (improve engagement and efficiency)

In close connection with relationship building, the ability to  motivate your workforce  is as important as keeping employee engagement high. One of the most effective  leadership skills  is knowing how to continuously motivate employees, which requires leaders to be connected to their teams and attentive to what is going on around them.

In a study done by the firm Interact on 10,000 employees in the US which cited that the number 1 complaint (63%) from employees concerning their managers is lack of appreciation, and, conversely, when managers appreciate their contribution, their engagement increases by 60%.

In another study by Westminster College, it was found that boosting morale is the top (32%) motivational technique employees prefer. If employees are not motivated, the company can be negatively affected (financially) with absenteeism, attrition and low productivity.

Motivated employees are much more engaged, they are also more self-confident in what they do, and can do. This leads them to know how to react in difficult situations and develop innovative ideas that could help optimize business performance.

5. Decision-making (leading with conviction)

A leader is tasked with making decisions all the time. To be an effective leader, those  decision making skills  need to be top notch. Critical decisions affecting your organization on a large scale need to be sound, rational and solid.

In reality, your decisions as a leader will determine your – and potentially your organization’s – success. Making decisions, however big or small, are a fundamental part of Leadership, as a leader you need to develop strong decision-making skills and have the conviction to  stand by your decisions,  whilst also recognizing the need to adapt when those decisions do not lead to the desired outcome. It is a unique balancing act.

Remember, some decisions may not always be favorable. Making an unpopular but necessary decision is probably one of the most difficult tasks as a leader, but it is vital that as a leader you are able to recognize your responsibilities and make clear decisions for your team or organization.

📝 Try an exercise for better decision making »

6. Conflict management (keeping the peace)

According to the American Management Association, managers spend at least 24% of their time managing conflict. Conflict can happen in any area of business.

A conflict is considered to be any issue between two or more individuals that can potentially disrupt work. Conflict in business may go beyond the workplace as it can involve customers, suppliers and even competitors.

When a conflict arises, an  effective leader  should be able to jump in and resolve or at least mitigate the conflict before it affects the business negatively. When properly dealt with, a conflict may even turn out to be positive for your organization, as it can often lead to stronger bonds or new ideas.

To be effective as a leader, you must be good at identifying conflict, and have foresight on how to resolve it. It is also essential to be rational when faced with confrontation. Conflict management is no doubt one of the most important leadership competencies but Robyn Short cited a study that found 60% of U.S. employees have not received any conflict management skills training.

As a leader, it is important that you are able to manage conflict, but developing these same skills in your team can help avoid conflict altogether.

How to manage conflict: Six essentials from a former FBI hostage negotiator »

7. Negotiation (winning the game)

Negotiation is a process where two parties with different ideals get together and mutually agree on what an outcome should be. According to Skills You Need, the process of negotiation involves 6 stages:

• Preparation
• Clarification of goals
• Negotiation towards a Win-Win outcome
• Implementation of a course of action

Good negotiations can be beneficial to an organization because they will build better relationships, both internally and externally. They will also help find the best long-term solution by getting the most out of two different sides. An effective leader must be well versed in his negotiation style to move an organization forward.

As a leader, negotiation is used to understand the interests of your employees and to find ways of satisfying those interests, in order to achieve organizational goals.

Tips on using negotiation to achieve positive outcomes »

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8. Critical Thinking (understand the links between ideas)

Leading a business is unquestionably challenging. To be successful, a leader must make a lot of difficult decisions, often under pressure. Research by the Brandon Hall Group shows that  critical thinking  is the most important skill required of leaders to successfully lead an organization.

Critical thinking is the ability to think clearly, whilst building a logical connection between different ideas. Critical thinkers are often intelligent decision makers, highly analytical and generally always rational. Critical thinking is a learned skill, and generally involves three steps:

Step 1 – Frame

Complex problems are rarely what they appear to be on first look. To better understand what you are dealing with, frame the problem by asking yourself “What is my problem?” Hint: you can safely assume that whatever you think your problem is right now probably isn’t your actual problem.

Step 2 – Explore

Do not rely on intuition. No matter how much faith you have in your own judgment, if you rely strictly on your instincts you will miss the opportunity to see things from an alternative perspective. Instead, explore potential solutions. That is, ask yourself “How may I solve my problem?” It is equally important to explore what matters to you; that is, the various attributes of a solution that would make it more attractive to you.

Step 3 – Decide

In most cases, one solution isn’t consistently superior to all others on all attributes. To make your decision, answer your question, “How should I solve my problem?” Surface the trade-offs for each solution, identifying what you are ready to give away that you value so that you can get a little more of something else that you value even more.

Frame, explore, decide, or FrED, for short. For most complex problems, your understanding of the problem changes as you progress through the analysis. The three steps aren’t so much a linear sequence as they are elements of an iterative loop. Do not hesitate to revise previous conclusions as new evidence surfaces.

Typically,  critical thinkers will rigorously question ideas and assumptions, they will always seek to determine whether the ideas, arguments and findings represent the true picture and are commonly able to recognize inconsistencies and errors in reasoning to achieve the desired outcome.

Sharpen your critical thinking skills with IMD »

Leadership is crucial to the success of individuals, teams, and organizations. It encompasses diverse skills, qualities, and approaches that empower individuals to guide and inspire others toward achieving common goals. As the business environment continues to evolve, so will the concept of leadership — adapting to meet the demands and challenges of a dynamic world. […]

Imagine navigating a ship through uncharted waters in the dark, with each crew member holding a piece of the map. That’s the challenge of leadership in today’s dynamic, ever-evolving business landscape. How do you, as a leader, unite these diverse pieces to chart a successful course? The answer lies in inclusive leadership. In a world […]

What if you could supercharge your leadership development in a way that’s tailored specifically to you? Today’s business leaders are under immense pressure to deliver. It’s not just about achieving quarterly targets; it’s about being a visionary, a strategic thinker, and a great manager.  That’s where executive coaching comes in. Far from being a sign […]

Do you believe each team member has a unique strength that can fuel innovation and solve complex challenges? If your answer is yes, you might want to explore the landscape of laissez-faire leadership. Laissez-faire leadership, a term many have heard but few completely understand, is growing more relevant in today’s ever-changing, complex work environments. It […]

From Self-Reflection to School Success: A Checklist for K-12 Principals

When we talk about the traits and values required to be great K-12 school leaders, there’s quite a list: empathy, great communication skills , adaptability , emotional intelligence, resilience , and plenty more. Another essential trait that’s just as critical as the ones above, but doesn’t get talked about as much is the ability to reflect . 

There’s a reason why education leaders don’t tend to make reflection a habit. We’re in the business of moving our schools forward. What’s the benefit of looking back?

Plenty of research shows that we shouldn’t underestimate the power of reflection. The self-awareness, introspection, and growth we encounter when we reflect on a regular basis helps school and district leaders make better decisions, which in turn helps teachers and staff enhance their own skills around judgment and taking action. 

The self-awareness, introspection, and growth we encounter when we reflect on a regular basis helps school and district leaders make better decisions, which in turn helps teachers and staff enhance their own skills around judgment and taking action. 

In spite of the many benefits, taking the time to reflect consistently is challenging. There’s so much you’re responsible for; you’ve easily made thousands of decisions over the past school year. Where do you begin? And, another question: how do you continue your reflection practice once school is back in session?

We’ve got you, on both accounts. Below is a list of 25 questions—broken up into key topics—that you can use to get into the groove of continuous reflection. There are also a few tips for using your reflections to power your next steps. 

25 Reflection Questions for K-12 School Leaders

Teaching & learning.

• Overall, how effective were our instructional practices this year?
• As the instructional leader of my school, where do I need to focus my efforts and education next year? 
• What data do we have on student performance, and what does it tell us about our strengths and areas for improvement?
• What kind of professional development opportunities were offered to teachers and staff this year, and what was the feedback on those opportunities? What worked and what didn’t?
• What innovations in teaching and learning might we explore for the upcoming school year? Conversely, what might we be able to stop doing next year? 

Leadership & Personal Growth

• What was my best leadership moment this year—and how can I have more moments like that one? 
• Conversely, what was my biggest challenge this year? How did I address it, and what did I learn about myself in the process?
• How have I grown as a leader this year? What are some examples of this growth? 
• How effective was I at managing my time this year? Where did I excel, and where can I improve? 
• What are three things or skills I need to learn or brush up on to be at my best for next school year? Where would my professional development time be best spent?

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Trust & Collaboration

• Who is one person I built a strong relationship with this year, and what did I learn about them and myself? Who do I still need to get to know a little better , and how will I make that happen?
• How effective was my communication with all members of my school community?
• What can I do to further build trust with my school community?
• Did I give feedback to others in a way that was intentional and actionable? And, how did I do with receiving feedback ? 
• What strategies did I try this year to increase collaboration among staff, teachers, and other groups in my school?

School Climate & Culture

• What is the current climate and culture of my school? What’s working, and what can be improved?
• How well do I understand the needs and concerns of my students, staff, and families?
• How inclusive, equitable , and culturally responsive is our school environment when it comes to all students, parents, staff, and community members? 
• What steps—and with what specific groups—can I take to foster a stronger sense of community within my school?
• What’s the status of the relationships I’d like to build with key community partners ?

Well-Being & Support

• What measures did we take to support the well-being of our students and staff? Were they effective, and what are some additional strategies we can explore?
• What kinds of opportunities for leadership exist at our school? Can I create opportunities for shared leadership and responsibility?
• How can I set up both experienced and new teachers for success this school year?
• What are some things I can do to cultivate an environment where teachers can sustain their passion and decrease stress and anxiety?
• Did my school seem like a joyful place this year? Why or why not—and what are actions that I can take to prioritize more of that joy ? 

What's Next?

Now that you have a list of questions to get you started, how do you hold yourself accountable when it comes to reflecting and taking action? Here are three insights that might help:

Break down (and write) your reflections

The list of questions above might look a bit overwhelming, especially at a moment where you’re looking forward to the downtime summer provides. A reminder: this isn’t a homework assignment you have to finish all at once! 

Our advice is to set aside an hour or two every week and use it to answer two or three reflection questions throughout the rest of the summer. And, don’t simply answer them in your head—be sure to document them on paper. Having your answers written down will give you the context you need to take action. 

Summer flies by quickly—too quickly—and another school year will be here soon enough. Creating time for reflection isn’t something that’s only reserved for the quieter months of the principalship. It’s something that benefits us all year round. 

Find a community of support

Connecting with other school leaders is a great way to share experiences, improve leadership practices, and learn new strategies. It’s also helpful when it comes to sharing your reflections on what worked and what didn’t over the previous school year. 

Not only does sharing our reflections with our peers keep us accountable, it also helps us realize we’re not alone in our thoughts. As we share our findings, there’s a good chance that others in our peer circle have been challenged by the same questions or issues, and have advice for helping us move forward.

Establish a dedicated reflection time during the school year

Consider setting aside a specific time each day, or a time at the end of the week, for focused reflection during the school year. Instead of the specific questions we asked above, hone in on answering a simple set, such as “What went well this week?” “What’s something that could have gone better?” and “What do I want to focus on for next week?” These questions can help you remember the lessons from the past week and use them to inform the next. 

Reflection: Executive functioning for goal setting and action

Reflection is stressed as a key part of teaching. When students reflect on the strategies they’re using to plan, prioritize, break down tasks, and achieve their goals, they’re also building their metacognition .

It’s the same for you as a school leader. The more you reflect, the more self-awareness you possess . Doing the inner work to understand and examine your perceptions, biases, and values is what helps you do the outer work: carrying out the mission and goals of your school. 

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“Beyond February: Teaching Black History Any Day, Every Day, and All Year Long, K–3”

was written by GSE PhD student Dawnavyn James. It was published by Routledge in November 2023 .

“How to Build a Sport or Life Dynasty”

was written by alum Norbert Baschnagel, EdB ’65, EdM ‘68. It was published by Dorrance Publishing, Co. in 2021.

“Making a Difference Instructional Leadership That Drives Self-Reflection and Values the Expertise of Teachers”

was co-authored by Ian Mette, associate professor of educational leadership and policy. It was published by Rowman & Littlefield in October 2023.

"School to Career"

was written by Katheryne Leigh-Osroosh, assistant professor of counseling, school and educational psychology. It was published by Goodheart-Willcox in 2022.

"Teaching and Collecting Technical Standards: A Handbook for Librarians and Educators”

was co-authored by alum Erin Rowley, MLS ‘09. It was published by Purdue University Press in September 2023.

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Home — Essay Samples — Literature — Into The Wild — Into the Wild Timeline: A Journey of Self-Discovery

Into The Wild Timeline: a Journey of Self-discovery

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Published: Jun 13, 2024

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Into the wild: the journey begins, the alaskan wilderness: a quest for identity, a tragic end: the legacy lives on, conclusion: reflections on the wild.

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